


Braid

by Raven_Ehtar



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, FrostIron - Freeform, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill, Speculative Asgardian Culture, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tumblr Prompt, touch-starved loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 02:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16232597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Ehtar/pseuds/Raven_Ehtar
Summary: In which Tony gives into the temptation to play with Loki's hair, and Loki doesn't seem to mind in the least.





	Braid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silver_drip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/gifts).



> This is a prompt fill for silver_drip. The prompt itself:
> 
> **Tony starts brushing Loki’s hair and braiding it elaborately. Loki melts. No one had done his hair since he was a toddler.**
> 
> And because I touched it, it went on longer than was probably strictly necessary... Anyway, enjoy, everyone! Hope this is somewhat close to what you had in mind, silver_drip!

Impulse control had never been one of Tony’s strong points. 

“Stark. What is it that you’re doing?”

True, this impulse was one he’d been considering on and off for weeks, now, so there really wasn’t much in the way of a ‘heat of the moment’ argument to be made in his favor. On the other hand, there was plenty to be made for his resistance to temptation being consistently chipped away until there was nothing left - or so little it made no practical difference. Really, he ought to get some points for the amount of self-control he’d been exhibiting up until this point. 

Good job, Tony.

“Playing with your hair,” he replied, in the absence of anything else even remotely plausible to say. 

Under Tony’s hands, Loki’s head tilted slightly. He imagined it was to try and catch a glimpse of Tony, but as he was standing directly behind the mage that would be quite the feat to pull off. Tony had come up to the main floor of the mansion after a few hours tinkering in his workshop, intent on hunting up an iced coffee, and had found Loki sitting at the kitchen island, reading, his back to Tony. He’d been met with a black, gleaming waterfall of hair, and after several weeks of batting down the urge to reach out and touch it, the opportunity was just too perfect to pass up. 

So here he was, knuckles deep in Loki’s hair and with no good excuses. Could be worse, he supposed.

“I _had_ gathered as much,” Loki said with a huff, sounding more amused than anything else. “I was interested in learning _why.”_

He thought about it. He thought of how, after nearly three months of officially being accepted as one of the good guys - as shifting as that definition seemed to be, and as much as Loki’s relationship to the concept ever was - Tony had been struck with just how thick and glossy Loki’s hair was. Or at least, he was struck with _consciously_ noticing. It wasn’t like he was blind or anything; it was just only ever a detail before. 

Then he’d _noticed,_ and it was hard _not_ to notice Loki’s hair at every damned turn. Much of the time he kept it slicked back, oiled with something or another which made it gleam but could never quite tame the curling ends or keep out the subtle wave. Other times he was less concerned with taming it and let it breathe, and all the gleam was its own. Tony had seen him with his hair held back by a band as he perused thick tomes, with it wet from the shower, the heavy black tendrils coiling like snakes round his shoulders, he’d even seen Loki rock a man bun one of the times he’d decided to walk around the city ‘incognito.’ The man bun and how it had revealed so much throat and highlighted the sharp angles of his face had made Tony trip on seeing it. Thankfully no one seemed to have noticed. 

Eventually he shrugged, certain Loki would sense it even if he couldn’t see it. “Because I wanted to. That always seems to be a good enough reason when it’s you, doesn’t it?”

“True enough, but you Midgardians always seem to need more… to justify…”

Loki trailed off, his book drooping down to the counter as Tony began to move his hands in his hair, gently running his fingers up his scalp, then through the long hair before placing them back up and deep in his hair again. Tony grinned, smug, as Loki’s posture soon relaxed under the treatment, his book and his quip completely forgotten. 

For a while Tony just ran his hands through the thick hair absently, getting used to the feel of it, the weight and how it behaved. It was also good to allow Loki to grow used to the touch. While he wasn’t telling Tony to back off yet, he had never gotten the impression that the rogue Asgardian was very… touchy. In general. But he was accepting enough of Tony’s ministrations, his body continuing to unwind, his breathing growing slower and deeper. 

When Tony switched from simply petting Loki’s hair - which, admittedly, was exactly what he was doing - to massaging his scalp, he considered it a genuine possibility that Loki might actually melt. Fingers deep into the mane of hair, Tony pressed and rubbed firmly, following the lines of bones sutures, scraping lightly with his nails whenever he had to pull back and resettle his hands. Loki gave a deep sigh, a contented cat sound. Tony did the same, though more quietly. It had been some time since he’d given a massage without ulterior motives - well, without _sexy_ ulterior motives. He’d forgotten how relaxing and meditative it could be to give as well as to receive. All of the tension which had built up between his shoulder blades from working in the shop had more or less dissipated, his thoughts all gone soft round their edges. 

It was nice, a chance to relax in one another’s company without all that complicated word sparring they both indulged in so much. 

When Tony added a light, dragging hair pull into the mix, Loki let out a little groan of pleasure. It was enough to make Tony pause for a second, wondering if the Asgardian would be embarrassed by his own reaction, or maybe if _he_ ought to back away, given the way that vocalization had sent a hard shiver straight down his spine. 

Loki made no other move, though, no other sound after that one semi-involuntary one, so Tony decided to ignore his own reaction and continued to work on Loki’s scalp, playing with his hair. 

It was hard to say how long they remained like that. Certainly longer than Tony would have expected had he given it any thought. Much longer than he would have thought Loki would put up with it. More than put up with it, thought, Loki really seemed to enjoy the attention. It left him genuinely wondering how often anything of the kind had ever been done for him before. The dude was an Asgardian Prince, certainly there were at least things like… like body slaves or something that could see to this kind of thing? It seemed like the kind of ridiculousness that Asgard as a whole would go in for - the royalty in particular. If it was something Loki had access to, once upon a time, maybe it was just different coming from someone without asking. A kindness rather than a command. 

“Do you ever braid your hair?”

Loki started, possibly coming out of a half doze at the sudden question. His voice when he replied was certainly thick and drowsy sounding. “I can’t say it’s something I’ve ever spent time on… and it has been a long time since it was done for me. Why?”

“You know, as well as being a skilled masseur, I’m not too shabby with a comb and some hair ties,” he said. “If you want I could do you up a snappy ‘do.”

Loki snorted softly, but didn’t draw any attention to how Tony had avoided his question. “One is tempted to ask how the great inventor, mechanic and scientist came to add so many esoteric talents to his repertoire.”

“One could,” he agreed, giving another long, dragging tug on Loki’s hair. “And if one did, one might even get an honest answer.”

“Oh…” A whisper which was barely more than a moan. “But where would be the fun in that? An honest answer and the certainty of knowing, when not knowing offers the potential for _anything_ being the truth? Can you conceive of any greater tragedy?”

It was Tony’s turn to snort. “Are you going to tell me that’s where your habit of fibbing came from - preserving the beauty of potential?”

“Would you believe me if I did?”

“Potentially.”

Loki chuckled, and Tony couldn’t help but join in. 

“Well, then? Would you like to have you hair braided up by an inventor, mechanic and scientist? I promise not to put in any sort of robotics while I’m doing it.”

It took a moment for Loki to answer, presumably to decide how much he trusted Tony to twist his hair up into shapes. Finally he gave a small sigh. “Fine. Since you seem so eager to show off your skills.”

With one final little tug, more for punctuation than therapy, Tony scurried off to gather up the bits he would need to properly do up Loki’s hair before the Asgardian - or himself - thought better of it. He was quick, the task of finding what he would need for long hair when his own was so short not nearly as much of a challenge as some might assume. Still, he half expected to find Loki gone by the time he got back, the counter empty and the long legged Asgardian off to more important tasks than having his hair played with by a bored genius. 

But Tony was surprised to find that Loki had remained. He sat at the kitchen island, limbs all neatly arranged, only a slight disarrangement of his hair providing any hint of what Tony had been doing with it. Rather than continuing to read his ridiculously thick tome, Loki was simply holding it, fingers running over the angular lettering set in its spine with a faraway look in his eyes. 

Tony paused on the threshold, looking over the alien god and wondering what it was that went through his mind when he wasn’t plotting or scheming. After a mere four decades his own brain felt too full to properly sort through some days, he could only imagine what it must be like for someone who was several _centuries_ old. Not for the first time, Tony wondered what sorts of knowledge could be locked up in that head of his; the scientific, the magical, the historical, the… _everything._ Not just the cut and dried knowledge, but the sorts of observations such a mind and lifespan could come up with. More than once Loki had startled him with some astute or cutting observation which he wouldn’t have expected out of anyone who hadn’t known him at least several years. Even more affecting were those passing comments he would sometimes make, innocuous at first blush, which would stick with Tony for hours or days, twisting and untwisting like serpents until he wasn’t certain what their initial meaning had even been. 

Loki was a puzzle, and Tony did so enjoy solving puzzles. 

When Loki looked up at him, Tony grinned, holding up the handfuls of ties, clips and combs he’d gathered. Loki raised a brow as he laid it all out on the counter, organizing by type and size. He didn’t say anything, however, merely put his book up on the counter as well and turned in his stool to give Tony unfettered access to his hair. 

When Tony began running the brush through his hair, undoing the tangles he’d probably been the one to put there, Loki gave a contented sigh. Once again he felt it as the man began to relax under the ministrations, and couldn’t repress the little grin of satisfaction from spreading over his face.

“For someone who mucks about like a blacksmith all day,” Loki murmured, “your touch is surprisingly gentle.”

“So I’ve been told,” he replied with a smirk. “And for a supposed embodiment of chaos, you’re surprisingly compliant.”

“Mm.” As though to prove Tony’s point, he tilted his head to provide a better angle for the brush. “Perhaps. To be so just now is to my own advantage, and I am not known for squandering an opportunity.”

“That’s true enough. I’ve certainly never heard anyone accuse you of _that,_ at least. Though I have to wonder a little…” he mused, parting out the thick hair into sections. He’d noticed before, but brushing Loki’s hair drove home just how thick it was, how well cared for as it slid and parted under the brush and comb. Tony wasn’t sure what sort of products he used, if anything beyond shampoo and conditioner, but there was something in there which was releasing a vaguely pine scent. It was a grounding sort of smell, while at the same time bringing to mind deep, wild woods and all the accompanying wanderlust. 

“Yes?”

Tony blinked, realizing he’d gone still as his mind wandered. He undid his original parting to brush some more, busying his hands. “Well, you know. You Asgardians have so many things of great importance or meaning attached to every little thing. It seems like a guy can hardly brush his teeth without three layers of subtext attached to it.” The first week of Loki being a part of the team had been something of an experience in that regard. Though in retrospect Tony had to wonder how much of it had been genuine and how much was Loki testing the gullibility of humans. “I just would have thought there’d be some sort of cultural significance to braiding one’s hair. Or having it braided for you. Or in the _way_ it was braided.”

“Oh, there is. I just didn’t think it warranted explanation.”

“Uh huh, and that could mean anything coming from you.” He picked up the comb again, mapping out where braids would go. “So what is it that doesn’t warrant explanation? Are we married now?”

“Of course not. Merely engaged. Joke,” he added with a nudge of his head when Tony went still again. “For one so intelligent you really are far too easy to fool. No,” Loki shifted slightly, straightening his back a little. “There are many ceremonies which include particular preparations of one’s hair. An entire discipline has sprung up around _how_ it can be arranged. It is less seen these days, but at one time the way one’s hair or beard was arranged could communicate a wealth of information to an observer, from their rank, profession and marital status, to whether or not they were seeking company or if there was a personal vendetta they sought to satisfy.”

“Huh.” Tony twirled the comb in his fingers, interested in spite of himself. History and cultural idiosyncrasies had never been a big subject of interest for him, but it was rare he got a glimpse into everyday Asgardian life beyond battles and drinking - and all of that from Thor. Loki tended to be even less forthcoming. Just now he was being almost uncharacteristically talkative.

The scalp massage and the brushing were really paying off.

“So is that why you go whisker-less, then? Giving people less to read off of you right away?”

He could hear the smile in Loki’s voice when he answered. “You may think so, if it pleases you.”

“Mm.” He passed the comb through Loki’s hair a few times, no plan to separate it out again just yet. “But that was way back in ye olde times. What about now, any special significance to getting all prettied up?”

“Not so much as there once was,” he admitted. “Save during ceremonies or large gatherings - the once rich tradition is more or less ignored. Though there is some residue of the practice which can still be felt on a more day to day basis.”

“Such as?”

“Such as someone taking the time and care to dress another’s hair when it is not explicitly their job to do so.” Again, Tony could hear the smirk in the Asgardian’s voice, even if he couldn’t see it. “It may not be marriage, but to render such service would suggest that a certain… _accord_ … existed between the two people.”

“But still not an engagement, huh?”

“No, Stark, you’re safe,” Loki chuckled. “I would demand at least a _little_ proper courtship before considering a permanent mate. Even your pale Midgardian traditions of dating would serve better than nothing.”

“Well, with an attitude like that, I can just imagine what _kind_ of dates you would insist on, as well.” He stared at Loki’s hair, well and thoroughly brushed, now. His smile dimmed only slightly as a line appeared between his brows. “So is there anything I ought to _avoid_ with your hair? Anything which would be too great an insult to leave in?”

“No, Stark,” he said on an exhale, shaking his shoulders a little to resettle them. “There’s nothing you could communicate with my hair which I could not bear. Besides which, I’m curious to see what you come up with, having no practical knowledge base to work from.”

He raised an unseen eyebrow at the back of Loki’s head at that. To him, that sounded an awful lot like a test of some kind, though for _what_ and _why_ he had no idea, nor any clues as to whether or not he would care if he knew. Not knowing, however, only made him determined to succeed at whatever twisty little game Loki had going on in his head. 

With that in mind, Tony decided he needed to up his game. He’d planned on doing just a simple braid, maybe a loose French braid starting at the crown of Loki’s head. It would only be slightly more complicated than a plain braid, and worth it for the dumbstruck looks he would get if anyone figured out _he_ had been the one to put it in. Now, though, _now_ he was determined to be fancy. Pepper would have called it obstinacy - and would have been right - but Tony liked to think of it as standards. …And obstinacy. 

After a little thought, he dove back in, a new plan decided on and the comb leading the way. As before, Loki relaxed as he was worked on, even though having his hair pulled and twisted was probably a lot less pleasant than just having it brushed or his scalp massaged. It made Tony think he was right in his first assessment - that it was the attention as much as anything else which Loki enjoyed. As he worked he let his mind wander over the subject - how much Loki responded to the attention, how little Tony had ever seen him with his hair styled in anything other than ‘pushed back,’ how little he could assume Loki interacted with others based on what he had seen, the apparent connotations of having someone not a servant touching your hair… How long had it been since anyone had done something like this for him, since anyone had felt safe enough or even just friendly enough with him to try? In a life comprised of hundreds of years, Tony wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

Completing what Tony had in mind took a little over an hour to finish. He might be more skilled at hairdressing than anyone would give him credit for, but it was still very much _not_ his area of expertise. He was rather pleased with how it came out, though, and stood back to admire it with a rather smug expression.

Once certain Tony was no longer going to be tugging on his hair, Loki swiveled round in his chair. He raised a brow at him. “You look rather proud of yourself.”

Tony grinned at him. “I am.”

It got him an eye roll. “Well, let’s see if such self satisfaction is warranted in this case, shall we?” With a small wave of his hands and a tiny wisp of green, a gold framed hand mirror appeared out of thin air and in Loki’s grip. Tilting it this way and that, he took in Tony’s handiwork. 

Rather than doing one large braid gathering up all of his hair at once, he’d opted instead to do several while still leaving the bulk of Loki’s hair free. Along either side of his head, Tony had done two horizontal and parallel French braids which, once they’d passed the point of his ears, he’d converted to normal braids, no longer incorporating more hair into them. With those four and the remaining hair which was loose, he’d pulled Loki’s hair up into a half pony, with the lower half of his hair still unbound, but the braids all a part of the tail. He’d nearly left it there, but then on impulse had added three thin braids right behind his right ear, giving him a touch of asymmetry. 

Loki examined the finished look for some time, reaching up to touch the woven hair a couple of times, but not giving much in the way of an actual reaction.

“Well?” He asked when a full two minutes had passed in silence. “Have I spelled out anything terribly insulting for you to walk around with?”

“Not insulting, per se…” He fingered the braids behind his ear. “I’d rather say that, while simple, you gave me something rather more accurate than someone ignorant of the traditions has a right to.”

Tony’s flagging grin reignited at that. “Oh yeah? Do tell.”

“Mm… I think not. Perhaps next time.”

He blinked. “Next time.”

“If you are so amenable.” Loki finally dropped the mirror to meet Tony’s eye. There was a mischievous quirk to his lips which, rather than fill him with dread, got Tony’s gut to squirm pleasantly. “I would be willing to educate you on the history of Asgardian hairdressing if you would be willing to test out such knowledge.”

“On you.”

“Yes.”

“Sure you’re not just angling for more head rubs?”

“It is certainly an added bonus,” he conceded, and then ran his eyes up and down Tony’s body, smile still in place. Suddenly it felt much warmer than it ought to. “But by no means the _only_ one.”

There was most definitely a blush on Tony’s face, he could feet it. He could practically _see_ it in the way Loki was smirking at him. Well, two could play at that game. He put on his most charming smile, and while he didn’t give Loki a once over, he did let his voice go a little sultry. “It’s a date, then. There anything I should know before starting up a courtship with an Asgardian?”

Loki looked thoroughly delighted by Tony’s response. “Only to keep your wits about you, Anthony Stark.”

“Around you? Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> As a trained massage therapist, I'm here to tell you that scalp massages are the bomb. 
> 
> **EDIT:** So there was a call for reference pictures for the hairstyle Tony gave Loki. Unfortunately I couldn't find a single 'this is exactly it' picture, but I found two, where if you combine them you should get a pretty good idea. 
> 
> For the side braids (and almost the behind-the-ear braids) [we have this,](https://menhairstylesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Side-braided-Viking-Hairstyles.jpg) just make it two instead of three on each side. I'm tempted to say that this is all you need for reference, but he's not actually got his hair tied back in a half pony, so we'll [add this](https://menhairstylesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Easygoing-Viking-Hairstyles.jpg) as well, complete with incorporating the braids into the pony. 
> 
> Hope that helps, everyone!
> 
> [I'm on tumblr](http://ehtarwrites.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants to come say hi or chat about nerdy things! ♥


End file.
